Little Bits
by The Odd Little Turtle
Summary: Prompt fills from the Tuesday Prompt Fest on dragon age at LiveJournal. Random nonsense. Origins, Awakening and II characters. Mostly fun, some serious.
1. Bloodshot Eyes

**Prompt: Bloodshot Eyes**

After Hawke's refusal to do little more than turn mages over to the Circle, Varric is surprised when Blondie joins them for drinks at the Hanged Man. He's more surprised by the mage's haggard appearance.

"Are you alright, Anders?" Daisy asks. Varric half-expects a nasty remark from Blondie, but the mage sighs and has a seat at the table next to Hawke.

"I've been... avoiding the Fade," he admits quietly. "After... after what happened with that half-elven boy. It's... disturbing when Justice takes over."

Varric knew that Anders has trouble controling the spirit, but he didn't think before now that Justice plagued Anders in his sleep too.

"Oh!" Merrill says happily, "I know a spell for that."

The evening devolves from there.


	2. Stars

**Prompt: Stars**

"The small Warden is quiet tonight," Shale says.

The Warden, though small and squishy, nods and continues to look up at the shiny things in the sky.

"I keep wondering if I'll lose my balance and fall into the stars," the Warden says after a while.

Shale nods. "I've wondered that often, myself. You are quite small."


	3. Who Needs Rescuing?

**Prompt: Who needs rescuing?**

The last thing Varric saw before DuPuis scorched his own home and brought down a horde of shades, was Blondie, glowing blue with anger, bolting for Hawke as she went down under a hail of DuPuis own blood.

When Varric awoke to Anders healing hands, the Shades were taken care of and Bianca was scratched.

"Did we win, Blondie?"

Anders nodded. "Another blood mage." He ranted a bit as he was wont to do whenever blood magic was the topic.

"Ever considered a new line of work?" Varric asked eventually.


	4. Anders Fadewalker

**Prompt: Anders Fadewalker, Lady's Man and Extraordinary Mage Escape Artist**

"I do hope you plan on changing the name," Marian says from across the table. Her goblet is tilting precariously. Anders nudges it so that it doesn't spill in his lap, but his face is still pink, his ears have yet to fade from red.

"What?" Varric asks, his face a mask of innocence. "You don't think 'Anders Fadewalker, Lady's Man and Extraordinary Mage Escape Artist' has a good ring to it?"

"I was only talking about the _Anders_ part," Marian says and takes a swig of her ale.

"Well, there's got to be a little truth to it," Isabela says. "Otherwise no one would believe it."

"Why don't you just leave _me_ out of it?" Anders asks. He's gone back to studying the finished meal before him, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"You're no fun, Blondie," Varric chides. "You still owe me some details."

Anders knows what details Varrics referring to and his face beginning to turn pink again.

"I've already got a full chapter of shit I made up," Varric warns.

Anders blanches. "Alright, alright."

Two minutes later, Marian dumps her ale over Anders head and stalks out of Varrics rooms.

"I think you should cut out the ladies' man part," Isabela says.


	5. Strip Wicked Grace

**Prompt: Strip Wicked Grace**

Alistair shivered, wearing only his small clothes, scowling at the hand before him then back up at the little elven mage who was fully clothed save for the funny hat she'd just taken off and flung to the earth.

"You're no fun," he told her.

The Warden smiled. "I'm plenty of fun," she said with a wink. "You're just a sore loser."

"I'm a _cold_ loser," he rectified. "There's a difference. Cold. Freezing. We're outside. In the cold. Can't I put on a cloak? Just for warmth? It doesn't count, does it? I don't think it should count."

The Warden rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to tell him she'd stacked the cards just to get him in his small clothes. They had one more hand to go to get him out of his socks and then she'd lose one more and call it a night.

"Never challenge a mage to strip Wicked Grace," she told him.

"Duly noted."


	6. A Wizard Did It

**Prompt: A Wizard Did It**

Leliana laughed. Feastday was so much fun! Even nasty Morrigan had come out to play.

Alistair was frowning at his sword. He swung it again, shuddered at the sing-song swishing sound it made. His face turned red with embarrassment.

Neria Surana was on the ground _rolling_ with laughter.

"Neria," Alistair whined. "Look at what Morrigan did to my sword." The little elven mage only laughed harder, finding it hard to breathe.

"A gift," Morrigan said, a crooked smile on her face. "Would have preferred a poisoned hilt?"

Alistair pointed the rainbow sword in the witch's direction. Again it made a swishing sound.

"You're a foul creature of the wilds," he said.

"And you're a bastard prince with no future," Morrigan replied.


	7. It's a STAFF Not a Pointy Stick Helloo

**Prompt: It's a STAFF. Not a pointy stick. Hellooo~!**

One. Two. Thrust. _Zap!_

The Tal-Vashoth kept coming. Marian kept swinging her stick and casting spells.

Two. One. Thrust. Thrust. _Zap-pow!_

Three Qunari fell as one lightning coursing through their bodies, vomit on their lips. Six more to go. She hoped she wouldn't give out before the end of the battle.

One. Two. Three. Thrust. Thrust.

Shk-_boom_!

The thunderclap startled her and her companions. The lightning produced defeated the saarebas and its Arvaarad and the other four. All six continued to quiver under the electrical current pouring from the sky, skin puckering. The Qunari fell, dead.

Marian's hair stood on end from the static produced as she looked around to find who their savior was.

"Anders!" He was a sight for sore eyes. She hadn't seen him since they had taken Aveline to him when she had gotten bitten by a venomous spider at the Bone Pit.

"Hawke," he greeted. "What brings you here?" He gestured with his head. "Or do I want to know?"

She grinned. Held her stick up. "Got a new pointy stick." She was proud of it. This one had a sword attached to the end. If someone got too close for comfort, she could just swipe at him and move on.

Anders rolled his eyes. "I forget you weren't raised in the Circle," he said. "It's a STAFF. Not a pointy stick. Hellooo~!"


	8. Explanations

**Prompt: Alistair and the Warden try to explain to the First Warden how they survived**

"Riordan slew the dragon," she said. Alistair swallowed and followed her lead, nodding.

"Yes," he said, knowing he was a pitiful liar, but a year with the Warden had taught him much. "It was Riordan. Took the last swipe at it."

The First Warden looked at both of them, eyes hard. Then the elven woman nodded and studied Alistair.

"Tell me of your father, ser prince."


	9. X Marks the Spot

**Prompt: X marks the spot**

"X does _not_ mark the spot," Anders argued even as he trudged down the shore behind Hawke, Isabela, Varric and Fenris. "Ever."

Isabela turned, hand on hip and gave a wink. "Sweet thing, 'X' is the _only_ spot."

"Thanks for that," he grumbled.

She chuckled and sashayed ahead of their treasure-hunting party, pulling out a crinkled, vellum map. Hawke peered over the pirate's shoulder and pointed.

"And what are we expecting to find here?"

Isabela's eyes lit up. "Fabulous riches, a corpse or two -"

"As long as they're not animated, Rivaini," Varric interjected.

"Agreed," Fenris added.

"Spoil sports," Hawke said, her eyes alive with idea of adventure.

They walked along the Wounded Coast, following Isabela and her map until stopped, took twelve paces to the left, and drew an 'X' in the sand. "All right, mates, start digging."

"You cheated," Anders accused as she handed him a shovel.

"Yes, well, I am a pirate."


	10. Isabela versus Jack Sparrow

**Prompt: Isabela vs. Jack Sparrow**

The sky is clear and breeze is salty on the Wounded Coast. It's rather peaceful as they tumble out of the cave filled with venomous spiders and reanimated corpses.

"Get back here! You can't do that!" Isabela doesn't bat an eye at her companions as she runs after the other pirate, cursing the entire time.

"He's getting away!" she shouts and the others try to keep up. Anders waves his staff and casts a healing spell, but it does little to help against the poison ravaging their bodies.

They reach the shore just as the other pirate is rowing out to sea on that leaky little boat he'd rowed in on. _Why hadn't it sank yet? Aha! There it goes!_

Hawke raises an eyebrow as she watches Isabela rant and rave at man who's currently trying to stop the leak with his hat. "Why that no-good, idiotic, dick-weasely, scruffy-looking..."

Hawke scratches at the wounds the spiders' bites have left on her arm. _Treasure indeed._

Isabela is beside herself as she paces against the waves. "He promised me a ship if I helped him!"

"Andraste's tits, woman," grumbles Varric. He too has spider bites and looks a bit green. "You call that a boat?"

Isabela shakes her head. "He said he had a bigger one."

"Oh, for Maker's sake," Hawke says just as Jack Sparrow's head disappears under the water. "Let's get back to Kirkwall. I don't feel so good."

"Sorry," Isabela says as they turn and go. "I wasn't expecting spiders."


	11. What are you, Twelve?

**Prompt: What are you, twelve? (…yes!)**

_I regret nothing._

* * *

She smelled it before anyone reacted. Marian gave a polite cough.

Anders looked up and smiled and hooked a thumb in her direction. "I didn't do it."

Varric raised his glass to her. "I salute you, Massere. That one was worthy of any dwarf." It was just as well that the smell was _lingering_ about the table. Like a dog begging for food.

Marian narrowed her eyes at her lover. "What are you, twelve?"

Anders only scratched his stubble. "Thirteen?" he offered, deadpan.


	12. Ha! Dangly Bits

**Prompt: The Champion of Kirkwall, going into battle naked**

Varric steepled his thick fingers and cast a narrowed-eyed glance at the Seeker. A small smile crept across his lips as he twisted the tale a bit. If only to watch the abject horror cross over the Seeker's face.

"And the Mighty Champion slew her enemies," he proclaimed. "Her companions fought bravely by her side. Anders, Merrill, and she, cast lightning, flame and ice. The Tevinter Elf fell by the wayside as she cast round after round of ice magic. It was tragic. The one she had trusted most betrayed her in the end. Just like Isabela years before.

"And they made their way across to the Gallows," he said. "Completely nude."

Cassandra's jaw dropped and she knew a moment of shock before she pounced - yet again - at his ill-advised attempt to fool her. "You're lying again, dwarf!"

He sighed. "Fine. This is what really happened..."


	13. Cooking

**Prompt: Cooking**

Marian looks at the lute leaning against the hearth." Anders has many talents," she says with a shake of her head, "but playing the lute is not one of them."

"I heard my name."

Marian looks up to find Anders walking into their room. She hooks a thumb at the lute.

He only chuckles as he wraps his arms around her waist. "I'm learning." He gives her a playful peck on the nose. "Oh!" he exclaimed as though a thought had reached through the Fade and struck him upside the head. "I've got a new recipe to try."

Marian smiled, hoping it looked more real than it felt. Cooking was also on Anders the magical non-talent list. But she'd never tell him that. "Oh?" she asked. "Not nug this time, I hope."

"It was a bit stringy, wasn't it?" he asked as he led her out their rooms and down the stairs.


	14. Man of Honor

**Prompt: Man of Honor**

_"Alistair," said Eamon, "I have your cheese."_

_"Give it back," begged the ten-year-old, tears running down his dirty face._

_"Not until you apologize to Isolde," Eamon replied._

_Eamon's face melted into that of a dragon who screamed fire at him..._

...Alistair awoke with a start. The nightmare was based an old dream based on a very real memory. It always ended the same, and it always ended with him in a cold sweat.

Shuddering, he kicked off the blankets and scrubbed a calloused hand over his face trying to control his breathing. He lay there a moment, controlling his breathing as he stared at the top of the tent. A piece of the canvas-material was torn and fluttered in the wind revealing the starry sky at haphazard intervals.

"I can't do this, Duncan," he whispered, his throat dry and dusty, tears prickling the edges of his vision. "Not without you."

They'd been on the road for a few days heading away from Lothering and the Darkspawn Horde. The Warden seemed to think if they were fast enough, they could save Lothering. Morrigan thought otherwise in her vocal and bitchy way of hers. Sister Stabbity was more optimistic. The qunari had said nothing. The dwarves hadn't been in on the meeting. And the mabari had only farted.

Alistair swallowed and sat up, the night air cooling the clinging sweat on his chest. They had to do this. The fate of Fereldan, the world was in their hands.


End file.
